I am a new convert to the wonderful world of Gesneriads, having previously had an obsession with (semi) hardy exotics. However, I have now moved from one of he dryest parts of the UK to one of the wettest, which means that a rethink is necessary as a number of my palms and bananas are responding to the wet, cool winters by throwing in the towel!

I have always been one for a new gardening challenge (when my wife first met me I was attempting to grow giant amazon waterlilies in a paddling pool in my sunlounge - the marriage has survived but the paddling pool hasn't)and now I have discovered alpine gesneriads I have a sinking feeling that a whole new obsession is coming on!

So far I have managed to obtain the Ramonda species, which are still recovering from my move to Cumbria but are still hanging in there - so far. I've also got a Haberlea Rhodopensis, which seems to be growing rather than dying, plus a Conandron and a couple of tiny Jankaeas which appear to be in climatic shock but haven't actually dies yet, despite the fact that in Cumbria it is either raining or threatening to!

Alpine gesneriads aren't easy to obtain in the UK, top of my wish-list would be Corallodiscus, with Tremacron and Petrocosmea not far behind. If anyone knows any seed sources for any of the above I'd be most grateful!

I'll let you know how my alpine gessies get on and shall look forward to hopefully a long,happy association with this forum!